


Best Christmas Ever

by ScarletWinter2478



Category: James "Bucky" Barnes - Fandom
Genre: Christmas Eve, F/M, Fluff, Love Stories, Romance, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 17:25:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13081677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletWinter2478/pseuds/ScarletWinter2478
Summary: It's Christmas Eve and your boyfriend Bucky Barnes is late for a very special dinner.  You want to be angry but you can't because it's dark and snowing and you are worried about him.Not the best start to a special night, yet somehow, this turns out to be the Best Christmas Ever"





	Best Christmas Ever

**Author's Note:**

> An "Imagine" featuring the reader and Bucky Barnes; my little Christmas gift to you!
> 
> This is so very SHORT, but I hope it makes you smile! Please feel free to leave a comment and a kudos if you feel like it!
> 
> Thank you! and Merry Christmas!

Outside, the wind howled, blowing and swirling the gentle snow that was falling with such force it appeared to be a blizzard in the making. The only people out and about were those who had to be or as it happened, those poor souls who had put off their shopping until the proverbial last minute. Inside, it was warm and cozy as the soft Christmas music you had been playing all day filled the rooms of your small apartment. You stared out the window, as an inkling of worry began to creep its way into your overall cheerful outlook.

Today was special. Not only was it Christmas Eve, it was the one year anniversary of the day you and Bucky had met. Forgoing the big party at the Avenger’s compound and even disappointing friends and family who expected you to be a part of their celebrations had seemed like a good idea at the time; but now, as the daylight was showing signs of disappearing into dusk, you were having second thoughts about this special dinner you had planned for the just the two of you.

Maybe Bucky would rather have spent the time at the compound with his friends and ‘co-workers’. What if he felt like you were being too possessive? Hell, what if he figured a year was long enough and he was ready to find someone else? These and other unhealthy thoughts threatened to spoil your good mood.

To top it off, Bucky had been sent on a last minute mission that was to have taken only a few hours, yet he had been out of reach all day. You checked your phone again for any message you may have missed, sighing in frustration when you found none. This past year had not been completely smooth sailing for the two of you; just like most couples, there had been disagreements and quarrels and at times even a few harsh words. But through all of that, you had believed that being with Bucky was worth it. And it was. You believed that with all of your heart.

Turning from the gloom pressing on the thin pane of glass, you smiled softly as you took in the warmth of the room. Christmas decorations abounded; pillows and throws and novelty items, along with your tree and ornaments and candles galore…some might think it was overdone, but it felt just right to you. Picking up a stuffed snowman that sat on the top of a small bookcase, you gave it a squeeze and smiled in surprise as you caught a whiff of Bucky’s cologne. You had been teasing him with this doll a couple of days ago, rubbing it down his neck and across his face, asking him if he didn’t think it was adorable.

“No, it is not adorable,” he growled softly, “the only thing I find adorable in this room is you …” He had grabbed the doll from your hands dropping it on the floor and began covering your neck and face with kisses, his thick scruff tickling you in the most satisfying way. He always had that effect on you. Every look, every touch, every word that come out of his mouth seemed to caress your very soul. And still, you sometimes wondered how the two of you had ever connected.

 

_Your first meeting had been totally random; your friend Sharon had invited you to a party, promising that she would not leave you to sit in a corner on your own. She had been dating Steve Rogers for several months, and you had met him a couple of times since, but this was your first chance to meet any of the other Avengers. Tony Stark had welcomed you warmly and Sam Wilson was an outrageous flirt who made you feel at home immediately. However as the evening wore on, and the fact that you were ‘alone’ began to gnaw at your stomach, you were thinking of making an early exit._

_Searching for your coat among the hoards of others that had been deposited on a couch in the outer waiting area, you suddenly felt the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention, goose bumps covering your arms. Slowly turning your head to look behind you, you caught your breath at the sight of him._

_“Oh!! I didn’t… uh, you surprised me. I’m uh… looking for my coat.” **Duh. That was brilliant.**_

_With a smirk, he nodded, “You need some help? You sorta look like you could use some…help.”_

_Flustered... You were so flustered your voice cracked, “No. Thank you. I’m sure I can find it.”_

_“Suit yourself,” he turned towards the exit and stepped outside, as you stared after him in disbelief. **How rude!! Who did he think he was**? _

_After just a few more seconds, you did find your coat and as you put it on, you wondered why his words had affected you to the point of distraction. Pulling on your gloves, you marched to the door and stepped through to give him a piece of your mind._

_“Are you lost?” he asked curiously._

_“What?” His question had caught you completely off guard. “Lost? What are you talking about?”_

_Taking one last puff off of the cigarette he had been smoking and crushing it on the ground, he looked at you as he bit his lower lip, “I was just wondering if you might be turned around. This is the courtyard. You can’t get to your car from here.”_

_As you looked around, you realized he was telling you the truth. This was not the way you had come in. **Shit.**_

_“Oh. I guess maybe I am a little lost. Thank you,” turning to go back inside, your cheeks flushed red as the heat rose up to spread across your face._

_Following on your heels, smirk gone at least for now, he shocked you again, as he extended his hand._

_“Hi. I’m Bucky Barnes…I live here. I can help you find your way out. If that’s what you really want.”_

_“Hello Bucky. I… I… I’m…” you stuttered again, as you took in his appearance. He was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. You couldn’t take your eyes from his, two pools of silver blue that you would gladly drown in. He wore his long, thick, dark hair like a mantle surrounding his handsomely chiseled face, covered with dark scruff. The warmth of his hand holding yours was…. **Wait!!! He was still holding your hand?!!! What was wrong with you?!** Noting your discomfort he let you go._

_“How about we go back up to the party? We can sit and maybe get to know each other. I trust you will remember your name at some point, given a little time?” he teased. And for some unknown, god-forsaken reason, you started giggling, and laughing, and giggling some more, even as you nodded your head in agreement and took the arm he offered._

 

God. He must have been in the mood for stupid that night, because you had certainly felt and acted that way. And now, here it was a year later and he was the very center of your life. And you, well, you thought he felt the same way about you. He wasn’t very good at expressing those feelings in words per se, but he showed you in so many other ways how much you meant to him, how much he cared for you. It was all good.

The oven timer buzzed just then and you sat the stuffed bunny down to check the meatloaf cooking there. Meatloaf; never a favorite of yours, but Bucky loved it, so of course you made it far more often than you would have preferred. And potatoes. There had to be some kind of potato at nearly every meal. You giggled, He was such a teddy bear and the simplest things made him happy. Placing the dish on a rack sitting on the counter, you slid the dinner rolls in the now vacant spot and closed the oven door. He hadn’t called to say he was going to be later than your usual meal time, so you were defying the odds and proceeding as if you knew he would be there.

 

Two hours later, you had covered the food, blown out the candles and were sitting on the couch, legs tucked under you, watching Home Alone for the thousandth time. Still no word from Bucky and when you tried to call him all you got was voice mail. You would be angry if you weren’t so worried. No one at the Avenger’s compound was answering, but that didn’t surprise you, they were after all, otherwise occupied. Your mom called to wish you a happy Christmas Eve and she could tell that something was wrong, but you didn’t want to go into it with her so you blamed it on a headache. Taking a drink from a cup of what was once hot chocolate and now was something much less tasty; you grimaced and stood to get something less gritty to quench your thirst.

As you rinsed out your cup, the unmistakable sound of a key rattling in the door made you catch your breath. You dried your hands and walked closer; the door opened and in walked the man you loved, looking for the entire world as if he had been to hell and back again; only it was a strange, alien, frozen kind of hell.

“Bucky!!” you cry out as he drops his go-bag on the floor and looks at you with an apology forming on his lips, even as you help him out of his bulky coat. His hair is dripping from the melting snow, and his eyes watering from the cold wind. “Bucky, what happened? Sweetie are you okay?” He spreads his arms wide and you walk into his embrace, and placing your head on his chest you can hear his heart pounding as he catches his breath.

Looking up to search his eyes, he kisses you then, his lips still cold but welcoming. He was home. He was safe and he was home… that was all that mattered.

You moved to the couch where you helped him get out of his heavy boots. “Baby, I’m sorry.” He shook his head in misery. “I tried so hard to get here earlier, but things, the whole fucking world, was working against me.” He continued on, telling you about the way things had gone wrong all day, from the beginning botched mission; to the middle where he had lost his phone; to being in such a hurry to get to you he didn’t even go inside the compound when they arrived back there but instead jumped in his car to come over, which ended with a slide off the road into a ditch from which he couldn’t call for help or to let you know what was going on. So he got the bright idea to just walk and of course that’s when the light snow from earlier had decided to turn serious, dumping more than two inches of the white stuff as he made his way the couple of miles to your apartment.

You put your arms around his neck and played with his damp hair as he lamented, “Pretty sad sob story, huh? And worst of all, I know I worried you unnecessarily AND I can smell the meatloaf and it’s killing me that I wasn’t home on time…”

Grinning, you tell him dinner will be on the table in 10 minutes, so he should go wash up. He kisses you again before heading to the bedroom where he has some dry jeans and socks to change into. Forty minutes later as you are finishing up your meal, you grab Bucky’s hand across the table. You couldn’t help but feel a little guilty that he had gone through so much just to get to you on this miserable night.

“You know, you didn’t have to risk your life to get here tonight. Bucky, you **could** have just stayed at the compound… I would have understood.”

Looking at you with a distinct twinkle in his eyes, Bucky chugged down the rest of his water, picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth. Pushing his chair back from the table he walks around to where you are sitting and when you turn to look at him, he speaks softly “I know. But…” he kneels down on one knee in front of you, reaching inside his shirt and pulling out a small box, “... if I had stayed at the compound I wouldn’t be able to give you this,” he popped the lid open to reveal one of most beautiful diamond rings you have ever seen, “and I couldn’t ask you… will you marry me?”

After the cat let go of your tongue; the tears began to flow and you nodded your head, “Yes!! Bucky yes!! I will marry you!”

“You will?” he teases, never really having a moment of doubt about it. You put your arms around his neck, pulling him close, your lips meeting for the first time as ‘an engaged’ couple. He stands and lifts you gently in his arms, nuzzling your neck as he heads for the bedroom. He carries you past the wall calendar that hangs in the kitchen and you smile to yourself, as in the back your mind you mark this day as the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!

 

*The End*


End file.
